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- - Vamos (https://forums.tomisimo.org/showthread.php?t=28295)

Hi,

I've got an impression that vamos is used instead of vayamos in expressions like let's [go]. With other verbs the subjunctive is used always (Retratemos ahora al tío Lucas).

Is it some kind of exception?

It is used that way everywhere. It's an exception everyone allows.

Thanks! Is it impossible to use vayamos in let's clauses?

It's perfectly proper imperative grammar, but you'll mostly find it relegated to literary works. ;)
In everyday speech, it isn't common to use vayamos (and the pronominal form vayámonos) in the imperative («con finalidad (o intención) exhortativa»).

In older times, vamos and vámonos were the imperative forms and these are still favored hoy en día.

Here's what the DPD has to say.

Quote:

2. La forma vamos es hoy la primera persona del plural del presente de indicativo: «Laureano y yo nos vamos al jardín» (Gallego Adelaida [Esp. 1990]); pero en el español medieval y clásico era, alternando con vayamos, forma de primera persona del plural del presente de subjuntivo: «Si vos queréys que vamos juntos, pongámoslo, luego, por obra» (Daza Antojos [Esp. 1623]). Como resto de su antiguo valor de subjuntivo, la forma vamos se emplea, con más frecuencia que vayamos, con finalidad exhortativa: «Vamos, Johnny, vamos a casa que es tarde» (Cortázar Reunión [Arg. 1983]); la forma de subjuntivo vayamos, con este sentido, ha quedado casi relegada a la lengua literaria: «Vayámonos de aquí» (Amestoy Durango [Esp. 1989]). Lo que no debe hacerse en ningún caso es emplear hoy la forma vamos, en lugar de vayamos, en contextos que exigen subjuntivo y sin que exista, en el enunciado, intención exhortativa: :bad: «Tenemos una excelente relación [...]. Pero no es que vamos juntos para el cine» (Universal [Ven.] 3.9.96); debió decirse no es que vayamos.

Are similar verbs like pirar(se) conjugated the same way?

@Poli: Since "pirarse" is a colloquial verb, it's not likely to use "complicated" conjugations like that imperative ("pirémonos"), unless the speaker is being sarcastic.
I guess people would rather say "nos piramos" ("we're leaving").
And thinking about it, it must be the same case with "largarse": "nos largamos" instead of "larguémonos").

Larguémonos one can find in an Argentinian translation of It by Stephen King :)

Employed by a school bully.

As I said, it's not impossible, but for me, the speaker's intention in that case is to underline the contrast between the colloquial verb and the formal conjugation.